Is Hair Transplantation for Men Effective?

Posted on: February 26th, 2015 by csiaccess

Hair loss can be a very frustrating experience for men. Just when they reach a place in their lives where they gain a certain sense of gravitas due to personal and career achievements, many begin to experience gradual hair loss.

At first, it may not be very noticeable; slight thinning here and there, which is hard to see and can be easily covered up with a slight tweak in hair style. But hair loss can ramp up very quickly; with a receding hair line or balding at the top of the head. These biological changes can lead to feelings of insecurity and self consciousness in many men.

For centuries, men could not do much about this problem, and resorted to toupees, comb-overs, or a variety of other futile strategies that don’t really fool anyone.

Why Hair Loss Occurs in Men

Before talking about hair transplantation for men, it’s good to understand how hair loss takes place. There are several reasons for this problem, but they mainly stem from either genetics or hormonal changes that occur with age.

Hair grows from hair follicles, which are located at the base of the hair stem, inside the skin. Although your hair seems to be constantly growing – it’s actually not. In reality, hair grows in phases, where a follicle will sprout a new strand of hair, which will grow for a few years, and then fall out. At that point, the follicle will take a break for a few months, until the cycle starts all over again.

In men who are experiencing hair loss, these follicles are going through shorter growth cycles. So instead of a few years, the hair will only grow for a year or less, or maybe even just a few months. The quality of hair changes, too; the strand becomes thinner and weaker.

Male Hair Transplantation Popularity

Hair transplantation has gained a lot of traction in the last 10 years as a viable means to treat hair loss.* In fact, many celebrities are rumored to have had this procedure.* For example, Steve Carell, Kevin Costner, Jason Alexander, and even Matthew McConaughey are said to have had this procedure performed.*

Although no one knows for sure how their hair improved (except the actors themselves), if you look at their pictures now compared to 5-10 years ago, it’s hard not to notice a marked improvement in the thickness and fullness of their manes.

How Hair Transplantation Works for Men

The actual process of hair transplantation is fairly straightforward, and is a process California Skin Institute doctors have carefully refined over the years.* Hair follicles are removed in sections from areas of the scalp where the hair is thick.* These removed strips are then cut into smaller sections to contain 1-3 hair follicles.* Thereafter, small incisions are made into the balding area of the scalp, where these follicles are inserted.*

As these incisions heal, the hair follicles begin to produce strands of hair again, filling up the previously bald areas with your own, real hair.*

Male Hair Transplantation Results

*Individual results may vary and are not guaranteed.

Hair transplantation is a procedure that requires a great deal of skill and competence on behalf of the surgeon, because the final outcome will only be as good as the effort contributed by the doctor.*

For example, in the earlier days of this procedure, plastic surgeons had a difficult time creating incisions that were small enough, and dispersing the hair follicles throughout the bald areas in a natural manner.* This led to patients having a very unnatural appearance.* Sure, the hair was theirs and it was real, but it was easy to tell that it was a transplant, because of the unnatural shape and pattern of the hair line.*

Today, hair transplantation for men has become much more advanced.* For example, a significantly larger number of follicles can be fit into an area; thus creating a fuller, more natural appearance.* Further, California Skin Institute doctors can now even implant the follicles at a slight angle, which will dictate the direction of the hair growth and can provide a fuller overall effect.*

Who is a Candidate for Hair Transplantation?

At California Skin Institute we’ve helped many men who were experiencing male pattern baldness and hair thinning. We’ve performed this surgery on thousands of patients, with great outcomes.* However, we also go beyond hair transplantation and try to help our patients with maintaining their hair through a variety of treatments that stimulate the hair follicles to produce stronger, thicker hair.* This combined approach can yield strong long term improvements for the patient.*

Click here for more information about hair transplantation, or schedule online today!

*Individual results may vary and are not guaranteed.